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‘Something you don’t forget,’ officer says 10 years after digging for missing boys in deadly St. Paul landslide

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

On the anniversary of a landslide at St. Paul’s Lilydale Regional Park, police officer Amanda Heu looks at photos of Haysem Sani, 9, and Mohamed Fofana, 10.Heu, one of the first responding officers on May 22, 2013, dug with her bare hands through the sand and soil to try to reach the boys, who were on a fourth-grade field trip. Others joined in to help and firefighters arrived with rescue equipment, but Haysem and Mohamed died.Haysem Sani, 9, and Mohamed Fofana, 10“It’s something that you just don’t forget,” said Heu, now a commander in the St. Paul Police Central District, on Monday. “It’s a reminder for me of how precious life is.”Mohmed’s parents have been working toward starting a school in his memory, and Lancine Fofana said Monday they plan to start with three first-grade classes in September and expand from there. The Mohamed Fofana Memorial School will be in Lancine Fofana’s native Guinea in western Africa.“Th...

Minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers awaits action from Walz

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

A bill guaranteeing a minimum wage and setting rules on firing for ride-share drivers has passed in both the Minnesota Senate and House.But will it become law?After a final Senate vote Sunday night base pay rates for miles and time for Uber and Lyft drivers are now on their way to the governor’s desk for final approval. So far, Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has not said what he plans to do.Ride-share companies oppose the bill and are urging the governor to veto it. Backers say it’s crucial to provide a living wage and basic employee protections for drivers, who are “gig workers” paid by companies under contract and lack similar protections to full-time employees.“The purpose of this bill is to correct a serious problem, an injustice and an abusive situation that exists toward drivers,” said Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, who introduced the legislation.Bill’s author says drivers strugglingAs he introduced the bill for final passage in the Senate on Sunday night, Fateh sai...

Duo pedals cross-country to find kidney and cure

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Two lifelong friends are making a 3,600-mile bike ride across the nation to raise awareness about organ transplants. Tommy Taylor and JD Norton began their trek from Santa Monica, California, in April and will finish in Boston, Massachusetts, in June."I'm 70, and he's 69," Taylor said. "We're both holding up real well." Retired Post-Dispatch sports writer Rick Hummel dead at 77 "I wanted to help him with his cause," Norton said. "And I have been telling people about organ donation."Taylor's wife, Thoko, died from sarcoidosis, a lung disease, two years ago, and a transplant would have saved her life. Norton's 8-year-old grandson, Broderick, is in search of a kidney donor.The pair had an overnight stay in St. Charles on Monday and will continue early Wednesday morning."I've been keeping a written journal," Norton said. "I think for months and months, I will be digesting this trip."One can follow their journey by clicking here.

Evacuations ordered as brush fire erupts in Riverside County

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

Authorities in Riverside County have issued evacuation orders as they work to contain a wildfire that broke out just west of San Jacinto Monday afternoon.Firefighters responded to reports of the blaze near the Ramona Expressway and Warren Road just after 2 p.m.  The Ramona Fire, which was initially reported to be 10 acres, is burning at a “moderate rate of spread,” fire officials said. Additional crews and firefighting aircraft have also been requested. Video of the vegetation fire shows heavy, white smoke settling over hills in the area.Crews with Riverside County Fire Department battle a blaze in vegetation west of San Jacinto in Riverside County on May 22, 2023. (Cal Fire Riverside)The Riverside County Fire Department has issued evacuation orders for the following areas:South of Upperline AvenueWest of Warren RoadNorth of Cottonwood AvenueEast of Beech StreetEvacuation warnings are in place for the following areas:North of Esplanade AvenueSouth of Cottonwood AvenueTemperatur...

L.A. County Supervisor demanding answers from law enforcement after woman is attacked on Metro train

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is demanding answers from local law enforcement after a woman was brutally attacked on the Metro A Line last week.The attack happened last Wednesday as the woman rode the northbound A (blue) Line train, which connects downtown Los Angeles and Long Beach.While the Metro hasn't had its own police force since the 1990s, it does have multimillion dollar contracts with the Los Angeles Police Department, Sheriff's Department and the Long Beach Police Department, as well as 300 "ambassadors" who are supposed to help travelers navigate the transit system and report safety concerns.Hahn is demanding to know how something like this could happen, despite millions being paid out to law enforcement agencies who are tasked with keeping L.A. Metro safe.“Where were they when this woman was beaten up on the Blue Line last week?," Hahn asked in a news release issued Monday. "With this many layers of security, why didn’t anyone come to this woman’s aid?"Hahn i...

Residents near Mexico’s rumbling volcano stay vigilant

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

By María Verza | Associated PressSANTIAGO XALITZINTLA, Mexico — At the edge of this town near the Popocatepetl volcano, away from the din of traffic, there was an occasional low rumble Monday, like an idling engine.A cloud of superfine ash descended, slightly reducing visibility and coming to rest on vehicles’ windshields. For more than a week, the 17,797-foot mountain just 45 miles southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo,” has been increasingly explosive, spewing great plumes of gas, ash and incandescent rock into the air.The activity led the Mexican government to raise the warning level and to close schools in dozens of municipalities across three states. On Monday, local, state and federal officials held drills for the possibility of evacuations.“You hear it more at night,” said Violeta Fuentes, 39, who lives with her husband and two children, ages 9 and 12, on the outskirts of Santiago Xalitzintla. That’s also when they c...

Columnist seeks $10M from Trump for post-verdict remarks

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

By Larry Neumeister | Associated PressNEW YORK — E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation award against former President Donald Trump, is seeking at least $10 million more in a new court filing Monday that seeks to hold him liable for remarks he made after the verdict.An amended lawsuit seeking the $10 million in compensatory damages — and more in punitive damages — was filed in Manhattan by lawyers for Carroll, who say remarks by Trump in response to her rape allegations so spoiled her reputation that she lost her longtime job as an Elle magazine advice columnist.They said in the rewritten lawsuit that he “doubled down” on derogatory remarks about Carroll at a cable television appearance a day after the verdict.“Trump’s defamatory statements post-verdict show the depth of his malice toward Carroll since it is hard to imagine defamatory conduct that could possibly be more motivated by hatred, ill will, or spite,” t...

South Carolina school shooter asks for mercy from life term

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

By Jeffrey Collins | Associated PressCOLUMBIA, S.C. — A school shooter serving a life sentence without parole for killing a first grader on a South Carolina playground when he was 14 is asking a judge to lessen his sentence so he can eventually get out of prison.Jesse Osborne’s lawyer asked Judge Lawton McIntosh on Monday to reconsider his sentence so Osborne, now 21, could have some hope of freedom in his 50s or 60s.Attorney Frank Eppes said the judge didn’t fully consider a psychologist’s report that Osborne’s lashed out because of abuse and can be rehabilitated.“Give Jesse some hope to live with,” Eppes said at a televised court hearing.Osborne himself asked for a chance at life outside a prison cell, apologizing to the family of 6-year-old Jacob Hall who he killed and everyone at the school that day.“I would just like to say sorry to every single one of them. Because my evil actions hurt their lives,” Osborne said. “I’m...

Prep roundup: De La Salle wins NorCal team, individual golf championships

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

Boys golfDe La Salle’s Jaden Dumdumaya shot 4-under 68 on Monday at the Berkeley Country Club to win the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal golf championship.His sizzling round helped the Concord school capture the team title with a score of 357, 13 strokes lower than runner-up Crystal Springs Uplands.Campolindo and Stevenson tied for fifth, each finishing at 386.Dumdumaya had six birdies and two bogeys in his round. He was 2-under on the front nine and 2-under on the back nine.The junior edged Luke Price of Rocklin by one shot. Four others tied for third, two strokes back. That group included Foothill’s Brandon Knight, Nueva’s James Lee and DLS’s Joshua Kim.The top three teams and nine individuals who were not on a qualifying team advance to the CIF state championships on May 31 at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.The locals who qualified for state as individuals include Knight, Lee, Amador Valley’s Kush Arora and Serra’s Trevor Moquin.Arora tied for seventh at Nor...

Tom Brady to buy stake in Raiders, owner tells ESPN

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:31:05 GMT

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Recently retired and seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady will become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, pending NFL approval, principal owner Mark Davis told ESPN on Monday.“We’re excited for Tom to join the Raiders, and it’s exciting because he will be just the third player in the history of the National Football League to become an owner,” Davis said.George Halas and Jerry Richardson were the other two.Brady and Davis also have a business relationship with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. Davis is the majority owner, and Brady has a stake in the club.At least 24 NFL owners will need to approve Brady’s deal with the Raiders.He also has a 10-year, $375 million broadcasting contract with Fox Sports than begins in 2024.Brady won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the way to his first title, in 2002, Brady beat the Raiders in an AFC playoff game after having a fumble overtur...